Trial Diet Questions

[October3]

We're getting ready to start a trial gluten-free diet for my son, who was moderately elevated on tTG but with a normal biopsy. He has no obvious celiac disease symptoms but a few things I think maybe might be symptoms that we just don't realize. What I'm wondering is what do we absolutely need to do to be sure our results tell us one way or the other? I know certain things can cause symptoms in sensitive people (like gluten in personal care products for example) but are these things that must be changed out on a trial or things that most people start switching out if they notice they are still having symptoms after being gluten-free for awhile.

I'm not sure if that makes sense or not. I'm thinking of this like my eliminations with my daughter - we could tell by eliminating dairy, for example, from her diet that she was very sensitive to dairy. And after awhile of being dairy free I started to suspect we still had hidden dairy because even though she was better she wasn't to what I would call baseline. After searching I found one of her medications had lactose in it. So I'm wondering if we can follow the same approach here - eliminate gluten from his diet and then if we see changes but not to the degree we were expecting we can start tracking down hidden things. Or do we need to take care of all of it on the front end or we might not see any results at all? And if we need to deal with it on the front end what are those things I need to be finding replacements for, beyond the food? Or other ways for hidden exposures?

[ravenwoodglass]

It is a personal preference but I feel it is best to be very strict in the beginning eliminating all sources and then when the person heals add back in the stuff that might be risky.

[October3]

  On 2/22/2011 at 1:35 AM, ravenwoodglass said:

It is a personal preference but I feel it is best to be very strict in the beginning eliminating all sources and then when the person heals add back in the stuff that might be risky.

Thanks Ravenwood..., Just seems like even to do a trial is going to be pretty expensive (replacing cookware, personal care items, etc etc). I was hoping there were some things that could slide until we know for sure.

[ravenwoodglass]

  On 2/23/2011 at 8:03 PM, October3 said:

Thanks Ravenwood..., Just seems like even to do a trial is going to be pretty expensive (replacing cookware, personal care items, etc etc). I was hoping there were some things that could slide until we know for sure.

Tell us what personal care items you are already using as they may be gluten free and not need to be replaced.

If you use stainless pots and they are not stained or badly scratched those should be okay. You could get a small nonstick pan at a discount store to use for the trial for not a lot of money. For gluten free pastas simply use a clean utensil or pot lid rather than the colander or strainer that you use for gluten pasta. While you are doing the trial do not bake with loose flour for the rest of the household as that can remain airborne for hours and contaminate surfaces. One thing you don't want to do is toast gluten-free bread in your regular toaster. Toast on a piece of tinfoil under the broiler instead.

If he is young do make sure to not let him play with regular playdoh or white glues as those are not safe.

[October3]

We use Mela leuca products primarily. They list what is gluten free on their website and lots of things are (like the laundry detergent) but the kids shampoo, body wash, toothpaste, and the soap we use is not.

Looking through their list is a bit daunting because there are things I've never thought of - like dishwashing detergent and mouthwash. And that reminds me of another question - do I need to be concerned about the dishwasher being contaminated with gluten?

Also, do I need to do a deep clean of the kitchen before we start? (Things like wiping out the cabinets for example).

[ravenwoodglass]

  On 2/23/2011 at 9:06 PM, October3 said:

We use Mela leuca products primarily. They list what is gluten free on their website and lots of things are (like the laundry detergent) but the kids shampoo, body wash, toothpaste, and the soap we use is not.

Looking through their list is a bit daunting because there are things I've never thought of - like dishwashing detergent and mouthwash. And that reminds me of another question - do I need to be concerned about the dishwasher being contaminated with gluten?

Also, do I need to do a deep clean of the kitchen before we start? (Things like wiping out the cabinets for example).

Suave makes a kids combo shampoo and body wash that is nice and gluten free, they will list all gluten ingredients pretty clearly. Dove will also and there are others. If you like organic Giovanni hair care was gluten free last I checked but I haven't use it in a while so you should read the labels if you go for that. Shikai also makes some good gluten free hair care products but again read the labels as not all are gluten-free. If you like organic Tom's of Maine makes good toothpaste in both flouride and flouride free varieties. They list what all ingredients are made from on the tubes and have a lot of different flavors. Crest and Colgate toothpastes are also for the most part gluten free.

Is your whole house going gluten free? That is often the easiest to do and can help others realize if they have an issue with gluten that they are not aware of. I would just wipe down the inside of the dishwasher real well and prerinse your dishes before putting them in. Wiping out cupboards is not a bad idea in areas where there are a lot of crumbs or flour residue, we did it as we cleaned out the gluten items when our house went gluten free.

[October3]

  On 2/23/2011 at 11:27 PM, ravenwoodglass said:

Suave makes a kids combo shampoo and body wash that is nice and gluten free, they will list all gluten ingredients pretty clearly. Dove will also and there are others. If you like organic Giovanni hair care was gluten free last I checked but I haven't use it in a while so you should read the labels if you go for that. Shikai also makes some good gluten free hair care products but again read the labels as not all are gluten-free. If you like organic Tom's of Maine makes good toothpaste in both flouride and flouride free varieties. They list what all ingredients are made from on the tubes and have a lot of different flavors. Crest and Colgate toothpastes are also for the most part gluten free.

Is your whole house going gluten free? That is often the easiest to do and can help others realize if they have an issue with gluten that they are not aware of. I would just wipe down the inside of the dishwasher real well and prerinse your dishes before putting them in. Wiping out cupboards is not a bad idea in areas where there are a lot of crumbs or flour residue, we did it as we cleaned out the gluten items when our house went gluten free.

Thanks for the tips. Is there a list somewhere of what ingredients in personal care items generally have gluten?